Recruitment Homepage LibraryWhat to Write and Not to Write in Your CV

The purpose of your Curriculum Vitae (the way your life has run) is to market yourself to a potential employer, making you interesting and worth considering to the company, along with getting you a job interview. Think of the who, what, when and why rules of thumb for writing and apply it to your CV.

Who?
Employers need to know from your CV, that you're going to solve their staffing problem so it unmistakably must say who you are whether it's a nuclear physicist or a waitress, male or female, nationality and your address. An unbelievable number of CVs get nowhere because the name, address or both are incorrect or simply left out. If you are unsure who the employer is looking for then find out rather than wasting your time and theirs with a woolly CV.

What?
What you are offering a potential employer. It describes what you do and have done and highlights your accomplishments and skills. Your CV should show you have the qualifications and traits essential for success in the job you're seeking. You can extract these indicators of your potential from your education, work experience, college activities and awards.

When?
There's no point in applying for new work if you are bound by contract for the next two years. Experience should begin with the present and work back. Not too far. Your school holiday chores can be held back for another forum. A covering letter may indicate when you are available for interview - within 30 days for example.

Why?
Your potential employer will want some indication why you want to leave your current well paid position. Give some indication in your covering letter.

The fundamentals:

bullet point Clean layout, a good-sized font, printed on good quality paper
bullet point Avoid paragraphs longer than 5-8 lines
bullet point Only use bold and / or underline print for headings
bullet point Do not over-use different font types and sizes
bullet point Check spelling, grammar and punctuation
bullet point Consider using 'bullets' to start sub-sections or lists
bullet point Keep it simple
bullet point Get someone else to proof-read and appraise it, and tell you how to improve it
bullet point Length: 1-2, possibly 3 pages of A4
bullet point Don't over-use the 'I' word

more >> See also the CV Checklist for the European jobs market

What Makes a Good CV
Your CV should be appealing to look at, with information laid out in simple columns. If you have been working for longer than 10 years, make sure that your CV only includes detailed descriptions of the last 10 years and is no longer than two to three pages.

Don't talk about hobbies! A CV is a business letter, not a social letter. Include relevant club / society memberships. Sporting achievements are generally recognised as indicators of a disciplined achiever and team sport success may indicate that you can work well with others.

When applying for a job without any work experience, the cover letter is even more important. Cover letters shouldn't be longer than one page.

Research your employer. Show that you know something about the prospective employer. Mention one of their successes or products.Try to get across why you chose to apply to their company e.g. because they're recognised as the best in their sector.

Fold your CV in half and look at the top half. That half a page needs to go a long way towards solving the hiring manager's staffing problem.

Always corroborate your claims. A CV packed with uncorroborated self-serving statements will damage your credibility and undermine your search.

If you are applying for a technical position with a chemical company you should obviously draw attention to relevant qualifications, school subjects or experience. The chemical company is unlikely to be interested in your summer hitch-hiking trip or your prowess at needlework.

Style
There are two main styles of CV, with variations within them:

Chronological
Information is included under general headings - e.g. education and work experience, with the most recent events first.

Skills based
You consider the skills required for the job you are applying for. Then you list all your personal details under these skill headings. This is called 'targeting your CV', and is becoming popular; it can be useful for a specific position.

Covering Letter
Start your letter with an underlined heading giving the job title you are interested in. If you saw the job advertised, say where you saw it. Use the style and pattern of a business letter. Also mention when you are available for an interview.

Common CV Mistakes

bullet point Do not embed photographs into your CV. If you are sending your CV by email, remember that the recipient may not be using the same software program as you If you do decide to include a photograph it should be professional.
bullet point Do not include salary details or lie about your current earnings.
bullet point Do not use negative descriptions or highlight problems or gaps in work history, which would cause the reader to have doubts about you.
bullet point Do not include dangerous hobbies like bull-fighting. This may suggest that you spend several weeks a year out of work as a result of broken limbs. Why hire you if you seem to have a strong self-destructive side and could be dead within a month?
bullet point Do not include details of embarrassing failures that have occurred in other positions. Even if you think they are absolutely hilarious. Employers do not have the same sense of humour as prankster employees.


CV Checklist for the European Jobs Market

bullet point Name / Contact Details. Remember to also include a permanent address if you are a graduate. Include an e-mail address especially when applying for a position abroad. Don't confuse matters by giving different addresses for different dates. It's up to you to collect your mail. Be easy to contact.
bullet point Include it if it's good.
bullet point Personal Details / Place of birth / Nationality.
bullet point Personal Profile / Objective statement - a two or three sentence overview of your skills, qualities, hopes, and plans. Avoid clichés.
bullet point Another option is to write a qualifications summary that expands on or replaces an objective statement. This may not suit you if your qualification(s) are few.
bullet point Education details - most recent education first.
bullet point Languages spoken. Be brutally honest about this as most of us flatter ourselves with our language skills.
bullet point Skills attained (computing experience, driving licence).
bullet point Employment history - List your most recent experience first. Detail your responsibilities and achievements, what you contributed or initiated. Why were you successful and how did you discern this? Mine your experience for examples that demonstrate your potential. Don't use this section to criticise former employers as it may earmark you as an awkward employee or contractor.
bullet point References - Optional. Usually give two names - one for your character and one from an existing or previous superior.

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